Lexmark Optra E 310 Laser Printer (Pc/Mac)

by Lexmark

Product Details

Product Manual [2.43mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 13.6 x 14.4 x 8.8 inches ; 16.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 28 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00001IVRA
• Item model number: 310
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Looking for a great laser printer for your home or small office but don't want to break the bank? Consider the Lexmark Optra E310, which consistently pumps out crisp text and detailed grayscale images with maximum true resolution of 600 x 600 dpi. It also comes with some terrific driver software, and works with both PCs and Macs, thanks to its built-in USB and parallel port functionality.

We tested the E310 with the USB interface and were able to install both the hardware and its requisite drivers in less than 10 minutes. We had the same success with the parallel connection. It's worth noting that neither a USB nor a parallel cable is included, though the unit does come with a toner cartridge.

Based on our tests, the Optra E310 is among the best laser printers in its price class. Able to print up to 8 ppm, it was relatively quiet, and the output was consistently, phenomenally sharp. We noticed a few faint vertical streaks when we printed an all-black test page, but normal text and graphics never failed to please us. Many laser printers in this price range apply toner on all-black portions of the page that looks slightly blotchy--from an angle it resembles tree bark. But with the Optra E310, black areas of the page were deep, uniform, and precise. All the text we printed had razor-sharp edges that didn't break up at all when viewed through a magnifying glass, and the majority of print aberrations that we did see were caused by the grain of the paper, not the quality of the printer. Printouts on high-quality coated paper were as close to perfect as any we've seen.

The Optra 310 performed with similar aplomb when we printed charts and grayscale images, laying down clearly separated shades of gray with few streaks, specks, or other unwanted elements creeping in. The driver software is robust, with advanced features such as the ability to print from two to 16 pages on a single sheet of paper. Even the printed manual is well written. The Optra E310 is a great overall value, providing excellent black-and-white output at a great price. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Superb grayscale and sharp text output
• Powerful driver software allows for a lot of neat tricks
• Works with both PCs and Macs

Con:

• No interface cables included

Product Description

1200 Image quality; 8 PPM; 2MB RAM; 600 dpi; USB port; 67 MHz Toshiba RISC processor; Flash memory capable; 10,000 pages per month duty cycle.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent print quality and speed, but too noisy for me..., August 19, 2000

By 

Dmitry (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lexmark Optra E 310 Laser Printer (Pc/Mac) (Office Product)

I bought this unit to replace the HP LaserJet 3150 that simply refused to work with one of our two computers. The Optra turned out to be much noisier than the HP, and in a small room, it's just uncomfortable. I'm returning it and will be trying to get the HP to work; I now feel a little more respectful of the LaserJet--I needed the comparison to realize how quiet it is. The noise is not too bad and may not be a problem for you if the printer is not right next to you or you're not as particular about the background hum. Again, the printing is fast and crisp and the installation was a breeze (on Win2000, I simply plugged it in, and the system recognized the printer automatically and installed the driver).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but check out the Optra E210, January 13, 2002

By 

Stephen Sarrica - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lexmark Optra E 310 Laser Printer (Pc/Mac) (Office Product)

My department placed about 15 of these and the newer E312 model on user's desks over the past 9 months or so. We've been very happy with them thus far. Our goal was to displace as many inkjets in the department as possible (inkjets cost a small fortune on a per page basis) and the E310 has been excellent in this role.

Since this printer's "little brother", the Optra E210, came out we have standardized on it. It is a bit cheaper and is actually rated slightly faster at 12ppm. The E210 also seems a bit smaller if desktop space is a concern.

I have not had the noise concerns that another reviewer has expressed.. perhaps I should get my hearing checked!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Printer, October 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lexmark Optra E 310 Laser Printer (Pc/Mac) (Office Product)

I bought this printer because my I print alot of b/w text material. My inket ink was very expensive.

I love this laser printer! It has extremely sharp text. I've owned it for a few years and i'm still using the original cartridge. The Lexmark name for quality holds true with this one.